Simon-Kucher Reports 5% Revenue Rise

German product, pricing and marketing strategy specialist Simon-Kucher has reported a 5% 2013 revenue increase to £125m, driven by double-digit growth in the banking, consumer goods/retail and industrial / machinery sectors.

Founded in 1985, the firm offers services covering customer segmentation, market forecasting, loyalty programmes, pricing, and sales force training. It now employs around 690 professionals in 27 offices in 22 countries worldwide. About 40 of these were last year, while in January new partners were elected, bringing the total number up to 66. The company says it plans to hire 120 new employees in 2014, with half of them from outside Germany.

Co-CEOs Klaus Hilleke and Georg Tacke say the firm has 'ambitious targets' for 2014, including double-digit revenue growth in the German home market and in other European countries, and revenues of more than £140m. In addition, Simon-Kucher currently generates a quarter of its revenue in the US, and plans to raise that to more than 30% in the next five years.

Commenting on the firm's developing during 2013, Hilleke and Tacke said: 'Once again we held our ground in a difficult market environment. We are reaping more and more benefits from our move toward becoming a global specialist. We are active in all of the major consulting markets worldwide, and building on our presence in all of those countries is a top priority for us.'

Web site: www.simon-kucher.com .